Moritaka
Mashiro and Akito Takagi are pretty much foils of each other. Mashiro, an
average 9th grade student but talented artist, and Takagi, an overall advanced
9th grader and aspiring writer. After great convincing, Takagi convinces
Mashiro to join him in becoming the greatest mangakas Japan has ever seen.
Takagi, with his gift of writing, hopes to become a successful mangaka, and
Mashiro, with his gift of art, hopes to marry the girl of his dreams, Azuki
Miho.

* * *

Bakuman. is perhaps one of the few anime (and manga) that
I’ll always be fond of watching (and reading) over and over. In fact, Bakuman. 2 will
forever be in my fave anime list. It involves JUMP’s core values of friendship,
hard work and victory, executes those values well, adds unforgettable characters,
and wraps it up in a very inspiring story of 2 boys achieving a dream in 10
years time.

Looking back at the time when Bakuman.
first air waaaaay back at 2010 (not really that long), I actually picked
it up because it’s an anime with characters aiming to have an anime based on a
manga with characters making manga. Fancy.

After watching a few episodes, I decided
to go check out the manga and found myself easily being absorbed by its
inspirational aspects. It’s a really beautiful story, in my opinion. It shows
you that: having a goal (rather than using ‘dream’ which actually sounds a bit
childish and something we really won’t take seriously) and actually doing
something to achieve it is living life to the fullest; when you make a mistake,
there’s always a way for you to make up for it or do something about it; there’s
always someone at your back who’s cheering you on with what you are doing; encountering
someone better than you is not the end, it’s only the beginning; there will be
people who wants you to go down but hard work and fair play will always be your
way out of their wickedness; reaching your goal with hard work is one of the
best feelings out there; AND A LOT MORE LIFE LESSONS YOU’LL NEVER FORGET. Believe
me.

Bakuman. is also one of those series that truly made
me cry – I cry from Takagi and Mashiro’s struggles, failures, and mistakes to
their success and moments of bliss. I get annoyed at myself sometimes but even
though how many times I watch it, I still cry or shed a few tears – even when I’m
just randomly browsing the manga and coming across a great moment such as the
fulfillment of their dream (like duh!), Mashiro voicing his recognition for all
of Kaya’s help, the hot spring chapter, and a few more.

Bakuman. is just that story that you’ll always want
to look back to. It’s practically the reason why I can’t seem to let go of this
series. When I get into some bad mood, pinch, or whatever else, I sometimes
browse Bakuman. episodes to let myself feel a bit better. I’m also completing
the manga volumes just for the sake of actually having it (and so I can also
browse it whenever I want to. and I’ll go do it right now :3) – I currently
have vols 2, 3, 18, 19, and 20. It’s going to be a really looooooong time ‘til I
actually get to complete it.

You see, Bakuman. is the
most inspiring thing I’ve ever encounter yet. It’s something that I know I’ll
never let go of. It’s something that always encourages me in every situation. It’s
something that tells me to get to work when I procrastinate :D

* * *

How about you guys, is there any
book, manga, or anime series you’re reminiscing right now? OR is there anything
that you were reminded of when I talked about Bakuman.? What do you
think of Bakuman.? What is the most inspiring book, manga, or anime that
you’ve encountered so far? :)